Weekly N.H. News Roundup: May 4, 2018

Statehouse lawmakers make decisions on a number of contentious issues, including Medicaid Expansion, education freedom accounts, voting eligibility, transgender rights, and marriage age. The House-passed version of an animal cruelty bill conflicts with the Senate version - compromise is necessary, but is it likely? And two more candidates enter the crowded race for Congress in the first congressional district.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives quickly passed a bill for Medicaid expansion, where reauthorization of the current program ends at the end of this year. It's a proposed five-year extension. The Medicaid program serves some 50,000 Granite Staters, often low-income individuals and families. It's touted as a key tool, as well, in fighting opioid addiction.

It's still unclear whether or not Sununu will sign a bill designed to tighten residency standards for voting eligibility. The Senate passed this controversial measure on Wednesday.

Related Content

In a swift vote with no floor debate, the New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a plan to continue the state's Medicaid expansion for at least another two and a half years — and potentially as long as five.

The relatively smooth path for the Medicaid expansion bill this time around marks a stark contrast from past years, when the issue drew much more prolonged and partisan debate. The inclusion of a work requirement and a new funding scheme to avoid using state tax dollars helped to win over more Republicans this time around.

One of two bills seeking to tighten New Hampshire’s residency standards for voting eligibility passed the State Senate on Wednesday after an hour-long debate during which Democrats accused Republicans of voter suppression and Republicans accused Democrats of promoting false narratives about what the legislation would actually do.